Gideon24 The late John Cassavetes and his wife, Gena Rowlands were able to carve an impressive niche into cinema history while Cassavetes was still alive, but the zenith of their work together had to be the 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence an explosive and blistering look at mental illness from a perspective that has been rarely explored on screen.Most films dealing with characters with mental issues take place after the diagnosis has been made and the character is either in therapy or has been committed. This film takes a different tack as we meet Mabel, a suburban housewife and mother of 3 played by Rowlands, whose mental issues initially appear to be something as simple as bipolar personality, something that can be dealt with via medication, but it is clear as we see Mabel interact in various social situations, that there are serious mental issues going on here, but for some reason, no one really wants to talk about it. Her husband Nick (Peter Falk) knows there is something wrong, but is still harboring a great deal of denial about it, despite the fact that he absolutely blows up at anyone else even hinting at the fact that there is something wrong with Mabel. There are moments where we see Nick punishing Mabel for behavior she doesn't know how to control for the sake of his own denial and it is heartbreaking to watch. It is also heartbreaking that Mabel is unsure of what's going on but gauges everything through her children....as long as her children love her, she doesn't care what anyone else says. This film is such a troubling watch because we want Mabel to get help and we see the people in her orbit walking on eggshells around her instead of telling her what she needs to hear. It is almost 2/3 of the way into the film before Mabel is actually committed and even sadder is the fact that when she's released, she really doesn't seem any better.Gena Rowlands delivers the most powerful performance of her career as Mabel, a master class in acting that won her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Rowlands is gutsy and unhinged and absolutely riveting in a role that would be any actress' dream. Mabel is warm and sad and frightening. The scenes where she tries to fight Nick's decision to commit her and her eyes literally roll in the back of her head and the scene where she's in the street screaming at strangers in an effort to find out what time it is because she has to meet her kids' school bus are absolutely devastating. The school bus scene is especially powerful because Mabel appears so mentally shredded you're convinced that she isn't even in the right place to meet the bus and you're surprised when the bus actually shows up. Rowlands so completely commands the screen with this performance that during the 30-45 minutes when her character is not screen (when Mabel has been committed), the film comes to a screeching halt.Peter Falk is explosive in an almost Brando-esque turn as Nick, a husband who is at a loss how to help the woman he loves more than life. Falk has rarely been so powerful on screen and mention should also be made of the director's mother, Katherine Cassavetes, who plays Nick's mother.A once in a lifetime cinematic experience thanks to evocative, in-your- face direction, a pair of devastating lead performances, and a story that leaves you with hope and wonder about what happens after the credits roll.

Jackson Booth-Millard From Oscar and Golden Globe nominated director John Cassavetes (Shadows, Faces, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie), I found this film in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I was certainly interested in watching it for this placement, and the leading stars sounded appealing. Basically in Los Angeles, housewife and mother Mabel Longhetti (Golden Globe winning, and Oscar nominated Gena Rowlands) is slowly developing strange mannerisms and her behaviour is becoming increasingly odd, she wants to please her construction worker husband Nick (Peter Falk) who she loves dearly, but he is concerned about the way she is being in the company of other people. He believes she is becoming a threat to other and herself, so he reluctantly has her committed to an institution to undergo six months of mental treatment, but left alone with their three children he seems no better or wiser than his wife, he cannot fulfil the role society expects him to play, and he is changing in the way he relates to and reacts to his offspring. Six months pass and Mabel returns home, but is clear she is still mentally and emotionally strained in doing so, and her husband seems ill prepared for her return also, he at first planned a welcome home party with guests, but at the last minute cancels and send the guests home, knowing that this is foolish. Mostly only close family, including Mabel's parents, Nick's parents, and their three children, go to greet Mabel for her return, but even this is overwhelming for her and for Nick, and the evening becomes another night or torment and anguish as the couple emotionally and psychological argue. During this very bad fight Mabel cuts herself, and following these events the rest of the family leave, she and Nick are left alone to put the children to bed, but they cannot sleep knowing that the distress may mean her leaving again, they profess their love for their mother, she eventually gets them to bed, and the film ends with no real resolution as Mabel and Nick get ready for bed themselves. Also starring Matthew Cassel as Tony Longhetti, Matthew Labyorteaux as Angelo Longhetti, Christina Grisanti as Maria Longhetti, Katherine Cassavetes (John's mother) as Margaret Longhetti, Lady Rowlands (Gena's mother) as Martha Mortensen and Fred Draper as George Mortensen. I can see why Rowlands was nominated the awards, she is pretty convincing as the mentally unstable wife who struggles to keep the family she loves, and Falk is equally good as the husband struggling to cope with his wife's erratic behaviour, it is a simple premise, a wife having a mental breakdown, being sent away for treatment, and returning with no real change, I agree that if the film was judged just by acting it would is fantastic, but being just over two hours it does feel a little too stretched, otherwise it is a most watchable drama. It was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Screenplay for John Cassavetes. Very good!

pruthvishrathod This John Cassavetes' film is a sincere and in-depth examination of mental illness on family life. Featuring powerful performances from both the leads, it is a compelling drama with strong emotions.Most of the events in the films are focused on the two lead characters. Mabel is a middle aged, married woman who has completely dominated her life to her family. Her eccentric behavior seems inappropriate at some stages but the character is treated with utmost care. One could never go as far to call her mad. I believe, it is her excessive love towards her family and fear from seeing them harmed causes her mental depression and she looses the control. She is the woman who is concerned about everyone else, who just couldn't leave anyone unsatisfied. Her past is not known to us but her sensitive emotional states are nicely presented throughout. I think Mabel is a woman who just couldn't let be herself because of all of these, that's why under the influence. Gena Rowlands gave one really really great performance.But it is not just Mabel and her mental illness which the film is all concerned about. As I said earlier, it demonstrates how it the family life. Peter Falk gave equally good performance. It is his character whom I equally sympathized. Some viewers see him as the one who is really ill and states some of the scenes showing his questionable behavior. But I do not share such school of thought at all. I believe, he was a true family man. A hard-working man, devoted father and a husband who fights almost everything to protect his wife. He never believed in his wife's illness though admitting of not understanding it. He stands by Mabel but couldn't stand it when her actions started involving his children. His character and children towards the ending shows how much it takes to love someone.Movie has camera-work quite similar to documentary films, matching with film's plot that helps it up building realistic atmosphere. All in, it is a compelling triumph with masterful film-making.

cmccann-2 With starring roles in "The Dirty Dozen" and "Rosemary's Baby", John Cassavetes was one of Hollywood's strongest actors during the late 1960s. Today, however, he is perhaps better remembered for his innovations behind the camera - the author of 'Shadows', 'Faces', 'A Woman Under the Influence', and 'The Killing of a Chinese Bookie', films shot in a gritty, Cinema Verite-style that featured strong performances from a repertoire of actors including Seymour Cassel, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, and Gena Rowlands."A Woman Under the Influence" is the apex of Cassavetes' artistry and perhaps his greatest film. It recounts the story of Mabel Longhetti (Gena Rowlands), a housewife/mother with failing mental health. The film tells of the incidences that lead her to suffer a nervous breakdown, the toll Mabel's struggles have on her husband Nick (Peter Falk) and three children, and her shaky readjustment to normal life after a 6-month stay in a mental hospital.Gena Rowlands' performance as a troubled house-wife is powerful and electrifying. Cassavetes' style is frequently imitated but rarely bettered, and the extent of his talent is on full display here. The documentary filming helps draw us into the inner world of the family, and we as an audience are subject to the Longhetti's eccentricity and dysfunction but also the love and togetherness that offers a sort of transcendence. There have been many indie movies and docudramas centered on familial dysfunction since, but in terms of poetry and emotional resonance, "A Woman Under the Influence" is peerless.9/10